I am pretty sure it was the supplies FOR a wake, to feed the mourners. Not the cost of PAYING for a wake. I got the impression some thought it was the cost for having a wake like paying a funeral bill. The families all supplied clay pipes to give out at the wakes and tobacco and everyone was delighted to receive them as clay pipes would smash easily. You still find clay pipes in the earth in bits. Snuff was for the ladies. My mother said you had to be a granny to get snuff. I suppose the bar of soap was to wash the body and what else, not sure but they didn't use it to wash delph as only boiling water was poured over dishes to be washed. Some still practice that today in Ireland. Usually a neighbor would come to wash the body to save the widow or whomever the sorrow of this task. Same with delivering babies, a neighbor would help. Usually one reliable soul would be the one to call for all. Not sure what the coffin mounted meant. A cross was usually mounted on the coffin. Most were hand made by the family. Graves were dug by the neighbors and they were fed for digging the grave. Even in recent times in country graveyards, still the same. No undertaker involved. My friend who is 53 recently dug a grave for a neighbor (Co. Galway) and another neighbor woman came with sandwiches and tea to the graveyard and said it was the request of the dead man that she feed the grave diggers. Nice to see the list. Thanks for sharing. Karin

Here in the Funeral Register all of the articles mentioned were supplied by the Funeral Home and an itemized bill was given to whoever was paying the final bill! It is recorded as Funeral Bill(wake was included). This was in 1904. Helen